Conflict, Security and Development (917M1)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

This module analyses the complex relationships that lie at the heart of the development-security nexus in the Global South, especially Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.

The module focuses on three key areas. First you will explore the extent to which cycles of insecurity and violence affect the possibility of development for large sections of the world's population. Second you will consider the difficulties that aid agencies, nongovernmental organisations, governments, and international organisations encounter when trying to negotiate these spirals of violence and insecurity – be it through armed intervention, the provision of aid, the sponsoring of peace-building processes, or assisting states in postconflict reconstruction. Finally you will conclude by considering whether underdevelopment can be said to constitute a security threat; some Western governments, for example, claim that underdevelopment in the Global South could threaten their national security by facilitating the international spread of terrorist and criminal networks.

The module will provide you with the necessary theoretical tools to approach this subject, grounded in applied examples and cases.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 267 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to COVID-19, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let our applicants know of material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.